Authors: Bernard Lee DeLeo
“Shall I have cleanup go to his room in the next hour to collect your body?”
Karen laughed. Quenton had never heard her laugh in all these years since he had recruited her. He could only think of a handful of times he had ever seen her smile. It had a musical, throaty sound, much like her voice. He hoped he would have the opportunity to hear it again.
“I will be fine Sir. I just called to inform you he had returned. I will meet with you in the morning to brief you on our meeting.”
“I hope so Karen, goodbye.” Quenton hung up the phone with the sound of her laughter again in his ear.
Dr. Blakely knocked on the door to Thomas Connor’s cell-residence and waited. Nothing happened, although she knew he had not left again. She knocked again, but still there was no reply. She tried the handle on the door and it turned in her hand. Entering the room with some trepidation, Karen saw Connor sitting in a lotus position in the middle of his living room.
“Hello Mr. Connor,” she began. “You did not answer and I thought perhaps you had.” she stopped herself, knowing she had been about to tell a lie. She walked over to where he sat without movement, and reached to feel his wrist.
Karen Blakely lay chained spread-eagle by hands and feet in a dank cellar, with a dull light cast over the filthy room. Rats were swarming over her, and nibbling at her flesh. Her clothes lay in tatters on her body. Blood flowed from dozens of bites, and she screamed in pain and fear. Through her agony she heard the sound of thousands of tiny clicks, and looked down to see the room covered in huge black beetles. The rats fled for their lives as the horde covered the room; and devoured the rats that did not flee. They turned their attention to her as she screamed in waves of undulating horror, as the first of the beetles reached her chained feet.
A flash of bright light blinded her, and she lay on Connor’s living room floor. She began thrashing around her as her skin still tingled from the beetle’s touch. Strong hands gripped her wrists, and effortlessly lifted her up from the floor. She felt herself held in an iron grip, and she realized she was still screaming.
“Easy now,” a voice soothed. “You are back. Calm down and look around. You are here with me, and we are alone. I believe, however, if these walls were not sound proofed, we would now have an army in here with us.”
Dr. Blakely looked up into Thomas Connor’s concerned face with a growing realization of where she was. He released her. She stepped away from him, clutching her arms around her upper body, searching the room around her for remnants of rats, and beetles. She collapsed on the couch behind her, crying in relief and residual fear, covering her face in her hands. Connor watched her recover little by little with admiration. She took out a handkerchief and blew her nose. She wiped her face, and straightened her dress. Karen Blakely looked up finally at her host.
“You should let me know if you wish to see me,” Connor said quietly. He sat down next to her and held out his hand. “I am Thomas Connor, which I assume you already know, and you would be?”
“Ka. Karen Blakely,” she answered shakily as she grasped his hand. He held her hand without releasing it for a moment. Warmth, and comfort, flowed through her. Energy gathered within her body, and the horrific image of rats and beetles receded to nothing. Connor released her hand.
“You were observing me today Ms. Blakely.”
“How did you know.never mind. I work for Mr. Quenton. I was recruited out of Harvard ten years ago to join him in the agency. My principal field, behavior modification, was the reason I observed you today and a couple of times in the past.” Karen watched Connor lean back smiling and nod.
“Go on Doctor.”
And she did. Karen Blakely talked for the next hour and a half, revealing things to Thomas Connor she had not told her closest friends or family. She told him of her dreams and ambitions. She explained how she thought they should be in control of him, rather than let him control them. Karen tried to stop talking, but his eyes compelled her to go on. With each new revelation, she felt a warmth flow into her. Finally she stopped, when nothing remained for her to say.
“Quenton warned you not to do this, didn’t he,” Connor asked.
“Yes,” she replied, finally able to avoid his eyes.
“Karen,” Connor paused, “may I call you Karen?”
She nodded and he went on. “You should pay more attention to Mr. Quenton. He is an honorable man, and he wishes to protect you from yourself. I can see in this instance he had to step aside, and let you learn this lesson on your own. I am glad it did not cost you your sanity. How do you feel?”
Karen blinked at the question as she formulated an answer. “I feel wonderful Thomas, thank you.”
Connor laughed briefly. “Sorry my dear, but the feeling of euphoria you feel will take a while to dissipate. I do not want any of the leftovers, from your entrance into my aura, to creep you out later.”
“You bastard,” Karen said angrily.
“Uh oh, maybe I better hold your hand a bit longer.”
Karen jerked back away from him, although he had not moved to touch her. “What did you do to me? What in hell are you?”
Connor laughed at her again, “Karen, I did not enter your room without permission. I certainly did not wish you any harm. Get over yourself, and tell me what you want. I am sure Quenton told you honesty would indeed be the best policy with me.”
“Fuck you, you bastard,” Karen hissed. “I’ll.”
Connor grabbed her hand, and momentarily the rats and beetles returned. He allowed her to jerk her hand back in horror. Her composure had again crumpled, and he glimpsed the little frightened girl within. She ruefully met his eyes as she rubbed the hand he had grasped.
“Do not threaten me Ms. Blakely,” he whispered. “I admire your courage; but at some point, courage becomes stupidity. You can only impress me with knowledge. I am way beyond threats of force. I am not a
Care Bear,
nor will I ever be one. If you seek to bend me to whatever will you have or envision, you will fail.”
“I am not afraid of you Mr. Connor,” Karen said haltingly.
Connor smiled, “I saw a joke once in Playboy magazine where a young woman was forced to orgasm, because she did not believe the young man in front of her could make her do it with only his eyes.”
He had her. She could not look away. The pleasure of his eyes enveloped her. The desire for him built within her until she exploded in an orgasm she had not thought possible. She shook and clutched herself, physically unable to resist the sensations coursing through her mind and body. She cried softly.
“Don’t cry Karen. Although you could not help it, you upset me a little. I’ll tell you what. Do not invade my space, and I will not invade yours. You can pretend like I am your lab rat, but never for a moment try and treat me like it. Remember, I can know you right down to the color of toilet paper you use, and when you use it. I am not an evil force, but I will not be used in the manner you had envisioned. Are we clear about that?”
Karen’s world lay in shambles around her. None of what she believed existed any longer. The image she had of herself had been crushed easily by this man. She looked at him now with fear and respect. This man could destroy her without a thought, just as Quenton had warned her. She had never believed a man could bring her pleasure, yet this one had, without even touching her. The residual pleasure he had caused her still made her tremble. She nodded her understanding. He helped her to her feet and then to the door.
She stopped just outside his door and looked back. “Can I see you again?”
Connor watched her for a moment before speaking. “You are a good person inside Karen, but never come to me again without asking. You may observe me in secrecy all you wish. Never enter a room I am in without my permission. Can you do that?”
“Yes.”
“Very well Karen, goodnight.” Connor closed the door, leaving the Doctor more alone than she had ever been before.
Quenton found her in her office the next morning, typing furiously on her computer keyboard. He breathed a huge sigh of relief and walked over to her desk. Quenton sat down and waited for her to finish. She looked up moments later. Dr. Blakely blushed under Quenton’s concerned gaze.
“You need not have come to tell me I told you so.”
“I would never do that Karen,” Quenton replied honestly. “I cannot tell you how relieved I am you are still alive and in your right mind.”
Karen leaned back in her chair, “I do not know about the right mind part Derek, but I am still alive. You were right about everything. Connor functions as a force of nature, not a man. I was a fool to even think for a moment we could control him. He knew what I planned instantly, and nearly drove me to the brink of insanity by accident. I can observe him whenever I like, but I must seek his permission to enter into the same room with him. You will have to have him killed somehow.”
“Really Karen,” Quenton replied in confusion, “Connor presents no danger to our work as long as we remain truthful in our dealings with him. I do not know what he did to you, but it could have been much worse. How would we go about killing him anyhow?”
“A bomb if need be.”
“And if he senses it? What then my dear Dr. Blakely? Tell me of your experience with him Karen, which would make you so vengeful.”
“He humiliated me.”
“Definitely a crime punishable by death.”
“What if he decides to take out a world leader, or a President he thinks does not measure up?”
“You mean to carry out a pre-emptive death sentence on him because of what he might do? We give murderers and child molesters better treatment.”
“Did you see the papers today Derek?”
“No, I was too worried about you. I came right over to your office as soon as I got here.”
Karen took a newspaper off of the shelf behind her and placed it in front of Quenton. The headlines read eighteen dead in gang related tragedy. He skimmed the story for a moment and knew it to be Connor’s work. He began to hand it back to Karen, but she pointed at another story at the bottom of the page concerning a Devon Lewis, found dead with his skull crushed and his legs taped together.
“They found Mr. Lewis in between the gang’s hangout and here. Mr. Lewis, the article states, had been rumored to be the leader of the now deceased gang from the top of the page. Do you think this might be a coincidence Sir?”
Quenton sighed. “No, I do not. I also know we do not have him here for him to read criminals their Miranda rights.”
“So you just ignore our little combination judge, jury, and executioner?”
“You just don’t listen Karen. What would you have me do other than try to guide him? You called him a force of nature. What would we do with a hurricane, if we could communicate with it? We would try to direct it to a place where the least innocent victims would be affected. We could not stop it. Influencing it would be the best we could hope for Karen. If Connor ever found out we were trying to kill him, we would die. We would have deliberately placed ourselves in the path of a hurricane, and we would pay the price.”
“Our superiors would not agree with your assessment Derek. They will want control, or they will want him dead.”
Quenton shook his head at her in disbelief. “Please let me know when you plan on going over my head Karen, so I can at least have a head start out of the area with my family.”
“You would inform him of it?”
Quenton laughed, “Connor would not need me to warn him, and he certainly would not need my help. He would find out soon enough who betrayed him, and God help you when he does.”
Karen remembered the cellar full of rats and beetles. She shuddered visibly. Seeing this, Quenton began to have hope. “I see you have had a taste of what he can do on a personal level,” Quenton said. “I do not envy you the experience, but you better keep it in mind when you think of betraying Connor.”
Karen stood and turned away for a moment. “What do you think should be done then?”
“I don’t know Karen, but it will not have anything to do with controlling, lying, or using. If we help him to do what he seems to know to be right, we will probably be okay. If the pressure gets to be too much, or I find myself at odds with Thomas, I will tell him goodbye. I will take my family and find a place to live a long ways away.”
“What could I do?”
“I can get you into another department or you can help me with Thomas. Your study can be valuable in charting his progress, and letting us know if he begins to change in a bad way.”
“And if he changes in a bad way?”
“We say goodbye and go on a road trip.”
“If he lets us.”
“You are beginning to get it. Yes Karen, if he lets us. I could sure use a person I can trust in on this, who knows the risks.”
Karen nodded, “I’m in. Are you going to see him this morning?”
“Right now as a matter of fact. Would you like to come?”
“Yes, but if he does not answer the door when you knock, take some advice and come back later.”
Quenton laughed, “I’m glad you will be staying. Come on, let’s go see Mr. Connor.”